


Sunlight and Fate

by ashford2ashford



Category: Dark Souls (Video Games)
Genre: Internal musings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-12 14:01:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7937422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashford2ashford/pseuds/ashford2ashford
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A warrior stands and gazes at the sunlight, debating whether or not his goal - one that has given him so much hope - is truly what he needs to follow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sunlight and Fate

**Author's Note:**

> A short Solaire of Astora fic dealing with his thought processes and the reasoning behind them, followed by the first time the Chosen Undead meets him in the game.

Bright light cast a steady golden glow upon the ruined brickwork of the Undead Burg, making all of the decay and chaos seem inviting for the mere moments that the sun shone. Despite the screams and moans of the recently hollowed, it seemed to be peaceful here, almost as though that particular patch of light was warding off the darkness that seemed to be creeping in more so. 

At the edge of the stone courtyard, leaning against eroded masonry that had long since began to crumble at the edges, one man slowly cast his gaze skyward and pondered on the afterlife he had sought for himself.

How many days had it been since he had left the Asylum?

There was no longer an accurate way of counting. He’d noticed it the first time he had come to Lordran: the fact that the sun never seemed to set in these dark times. Despite all others calling him foolish, despite the nature of his quest, he was no idiot. Time was a concept that he had long since been aware of, and he knew that as a sun rose, so too it must fall, slipping over the edges of the world to welcome the night.

No matter how long he had waited here, time seemed frozen, the sun never once revealing those beautiful incandescent hues of orange and red and yellow that came with its passing. It seemed almost trivial to wait here for a sunset that would never come, but something about the very majesty of it had given him time to pause. 

Unnatural, yes, but not wholly frightening (in his eyes, nothing about the sun could ever bring about terror in him).

He had long worshipped this magnificent body of sunlight, and to find a sun that never set was almost akin to a miracle in his eyes. Not what he had been guided here to seek, but certainly something that had given him pause.

Still, time had slipped away from him in his obsession to simply sit and wait for a night time that was never going to happen. More than once he was forced to remind himself that this Sun belonged to others and was not his Sun - not the one he came to seek for his own worth. And yet…

Here he remained. 

In fact, the warrior who had been entranced by the sunlight was just getting ready to abandon his shield and sword forever when he heard someone advancing behind him.

‘Were I so inclined to end my life here,’ he thought, ‘I would simply await my death at the hands of whatever hollow has found me here. However, I would not ever get to see this wonderful sight again if I did that, and therefore I must fight.’

A heavy sigh escaped his lips. Such was the burden of leaving the glistening light behind for now. It was a choice that seemed so obvious to him and yet he'd been forced to mull it over; spending precious moments to toss his options around in his skull until one broke the surface of reason like a stone in water.

Perhaps he ought to thank this creature before freeing it of its hollowed nature? It was saving him from himself at present.

He turned to face it, muscles tensing for the battle to come...

However, he was most alarmed to find that the bundle of mismatched armour and rags was not, in fact, a hollow, but another bearing the same undead aura as himself. Someone whom had not hollowed and had also escaped the Asylum!

A glance back at the sunlight above made him almost ponder that this had been more than a miracle in his eyes. He had not seen hide nor hair of another undead since he had arrived here. Well, he'd seen their shadows flickering in and out of existence occasionally, and had noticed their summon signs dotted around, but nothing as solid in form as this one! 

Surely this was what the sunlight had captured his attention for so long for?

This was it! Far from being an idiot or a fool, he had actually been ensnared by the glorious majesty of the Sun long enough for him to meet this undead soul here! Surely this was fate? 

His faith had been rewarded.

Although the other would not see past his helmet, he was most certainly smiling in this moment. The person approached with tentative steps and offered him a greeting to make sure that he was not some kind of hollowed beast. Joy could not be hidden from his voice as he turned to face the other, “Ah, hello! You don’t look hollow. Far from it!”

It brought him great joy to hear the relief in the tone of the other - a masculine voice that sounded far too young to be wearing such armour and becoming undead in such a fashion, but he was hardly going to complain at that given that he himself had joined the Astoran guard at such a young age - and he was soon aware that he had been asked who he was and what he was doing in such a place given that those who had hollowed still wandered these passages.

He hoped that his own joy was reflected in the voice that spoke through his helmet, muffled slightly, “I am Solaire of Astora, an adherent of the Lord of Sunlight. Now that I am Undead, I have come to this great land, the birthplace of Lord Gwyn, to seek my very own sun.”

Upon hearing his reply, he caught sight of the uneasiness in the other’s eyes and felt a great shame bearing upon his shoulders. Ah. Surely this was what the others had meant when they had said he was rushing into a fool's errand? How they jeered him as he accepted the darksign rather than treating it as a curse. Already he could hear the voices of his many doubters mocking him, talking behind his back, and --

Before the other could even respond, his voice faltering a little, he decided to continue, “Do you find that strange? Well, you should!”

Barely pausing, sorrow hiding in his tone, Solaire turned away a little, feeling his cheeks heat up within the confines of his helmet. How could he have been so foolish? Who in all of Lordran would ever blurt out something like that? The warrior of the sunlight’s voice was clearly a little crestfallen, “No need to hide your reaction. I get that look all the time!”

Despite his laughter, he felt bitterness start to gnaw at his soul, building within him with every passing second. It was all he could to to tear his eyes away from the sunlight above him to notice that the other had not, in fact, let him be. No, they seemed to be pulling off their own helmet, and instead looking at him with an almost apologetic expression. Their head was shaking as they hesitantly responded with, “No, it’s not that. I just was not expecting such a straightforward goal like that considering I barely know what I’m doing aside from trying to survive, well...the best I can now that I am Undead. Please, I wish to hear more.”

Solaire of Astora was startled.

He’d never heard it put in such a way as that before. Other Undead, or even the others whom he had trusted, had scorned his goal that had prevented him from hollowing thus far. Right from the beginning he'd always been made to accept the idiocy of his own actions. Those thoughts seemed to vanish, dissipating into the air as soon as this undead spoke to him - jeering, mocking, hateful tones that seemed to follow him when he jovially explained his goal, now falling silent instantaneously.

It was so sudden and so simple to think of it like that, that he could not help but let out a soft exclamation of joy, “Oh, ah-hah! So, I didn’t scare you?”

The other merely laughed and shook their head in a ‘no’ commenting that they were merely happy to see someone a little more positive given the people they had met before. This only succeeded in giving Solaire a gentle stroke to his ego, and also made him formulate a plan of action. 

An Undead whom he had never met before had given him a surge of hope in himself. The more they explained their situation, the more the Knight felt that it was his duty to offer some kind of assistance. But how to go about it?

“I have a proposition, if you have a moment.” He hazarded, glancing in what he hoped was not in an expectant fashion at the other. 

He’d never before experienced having to hold himself back from leaping for joy, but he certainly imagined it felt similar to the way he now did once the other nodded eagerly. It was so hard to not embrace this complete stranger at that time (he was definitely sure he’d be looked down upon for that). Still, this was the first non-Hollowed resident of this world that he had seen besides the few who had already given up at Firelink Shrine, and the phantoms and shadows. Not an opportunity he was willing to let slip.

Instead, he coughed, and explained his inner workings, aware that he had been silent for a little longer than the other wished, “The way I see it, our fates appear to be intertwined. In a land brimming with Hollows, could that really be mere chance? So, what do you say? Why not help one another on this lonely journey?"

Further amazement when his new soon-to-become-companion nodded in such happiness! Solaire was already fumbling in his bag for a Soapstone, his tone brightening with his own mirth, “This pleases me greatly! Well then, take this.”

His companion glanced at it quizzically, “What is this? I’ve never seen one before.”

This time, Solaire was more than prepared. This one's eagerness to learn and to accept companionship ignited his firey will like the flames that surged through the bonfires, “We are amidst strange beings, in a strange land. The flow of time itself is convoluted; with heroes centuries old phasing in and out. The very fabric wavers, and relations shift and obscure. There's no telling how much longer your world and mine will remain in contact. But, use this, to summon one another as spirits, cross the gaps between the worlds, and engage in jolly co-operation!”

“That’s incredible. You can really help me from anywhere?” The stone was turned over in the other’s hands, admired from every conceivable angle, before being deposited into a pouch. With an affectionate pat, the stranger beamed up at Solaire with a smile that almost rivalled that of the sun.

The Knight laughed in response, “Of course, we are not the only ones engaged in this. But I am a warrior of the sun! Spot my summon signature easily by its brilliant aura. If you miss it, you must be blind!”

It felt nice to give someone hope, someone who was also lost in the dance that was this new afterlife, and Solaire found warmth seeping into the very fabric of his being. Surely now he would find his own sun? Aiding another and being summoned. Travelling to new and distant lands. Across time and space he would happily go wherever this one needed him. This particular Undead had left quite an impression on him to say the least! He’d never seen one so thankful to see someone less melancholic than the usual residents of the Parish.

Racing off, the other Undead seemed full of new life. It made him proud to think that he had finally given another hope and inspired them with his goals. Glancing back at the sunlight, feeling its warmth spread through his body, Solaire felt a new happiness that went along with his long term goal.

Before he could muse on this further, the other Undead seemed to be back, and even motioned in the direction that headed back into the confines of those twisting passages. A cautious suggestion of, “Well? Shall we head off?”

Solaire offered what he hoped was a sincere laugh, “Oh, hello there.”

As much as he wished to go along with his new companion, there was still much he needed to think about with himself, still so many questions and comments he needed to aim towards the sunlight before he could move on. Moving certainly felt easier now, and he was feeling the familiar sensation of joy seeping back into his soul, but there was a few things he had to settle within his torn and contradicted heart before he dared leave his precious sunlight. 

Naturally, he did not tell the other this through fear of striking a few arrows of doubt into the other’s chest, so instead he sighed in an adoring manner and motioned towards the sunlight, “I will stay behind, to gaze at the sun. The sun is a wondrous body. Like a magnificent father! If only I could be so grossly incandescent!”

Not that a statement like that would put anyone’s mind at ease, but it seemed enough for the Undead. Bidding him farewell, the other vanished into the darkness once more and Solaire heaved a great sigh. Relief. 

Yes. It was almost like he could feel something anew rekindled within him. A determination that he had forgotten in his eagerness to simply stay here and watch a sun that would never set. Through the blackest darkness would come brighter light. He had to tell himself that.

Still, there was nothing stopping him from enjoying a precious few moments to appreciate that which he worshipped...

All things needed time...


End file.
